Snow day!
12 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
Things I like about snow days:
Lying in my amazingly comfy bed and looking at the snow on my fire escape
Hot chocolate
Board games
No school!
Right now I’m waiting on some packages from the post office but once that’s done I will head over to the bf’s for snow day adventures!
Have a fun, safe snow day everyone!
dumb kids
06 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
in Television Tags: fat dads, hole in the wall, kids, legends of the hidden temple, ridiculous
So I’m sitting here watching this new game show on Cartoon Network called Hole in the Wall. It’s an American version of a Japanese game show where people have to go through…holes in walls.
I’ve watched about half of this episode and I already really like it. Here’s why:
1. The idea is ridiculous.
2. They almost never actually make it through the wall.
3. The host freely makes fun of the contestants’ failures.
4. Fat dads in skintight outfits (hilarious).
5. One of the fat dads actually broke a wall in half. (He went on to break chunks off of two others.)
6. Super-hot lady lifeguard that runs up when the contestants inevitably fail and fall into the water (this is probably what keeps their viewer numbers up).
And another big reason why I like it: I would totally fail if I were on this show. This is not a game show involving children that makes me feel like I would do a better job than the dumb kids they got to compete, which is what I always felt like when I watched kid game shows back in the 90s, like Legends of the Hidden Temple.
Poor, dumb, kids. I remember being so frustrated with them- especially when they could never put that stupid monkey shrine together right. I also never understood why they didn’t just run away from the temple guards. I bet a kid did that once in a taping and they were like “uh, you can’t do that” and the kid was like “wtf”.
But now as a mature, wizened adult, I acknowledge that maybe the pressure of being on tv, the time restraint, and just being at that crazy-awkward age made those temple runs pretty hard. I probably wouldn’t have done any better than any of them.
Now if you excuse me, I have some Spongebob to watch.
Things that excite me about 2011
30 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in Food, Life, Music, School Tags: babies, buke and gass, competition, dragons, future, geekery, halloween, horn, past
January
- Young Artist Competition in Spokane, WA
February
- Buke and Gass concert!! (click the link to check out their awesome Tinydesk Concert on NPR)
- Dreamation!
March
- Spring break!
- The Little Dragon rehearsals in Evansville, IN (can’t wait to see my T&S buddies!)
April
- Awesome performances in CA and PA
May
- Halfway done with my masters degree!
June
- International Horn Society conference in San Francisco!
July
- LeakyCon!!!!! (don’t bother judging me, for I have no shame)
- My 25th birthday!
August
- My friend Libby’s gonna have a baby!
September
- Beginning of my 2nd and last year of my masters degree!
October
- I’m gonna be in two different weddings!
- Halloween! (my favorite holiday)
November
- Pumpkin pies!
- Thanksgiving! (my 2nd favorite holiday)
- Fall!
December
- Uh…. Christmas break!
And that’s leaving out all the little awesome things that will happen in between- birthday parties, boardgames, hugs, conversations, adventures, bottles of wine… lots of things!
I suppose it’s normal to look back at the past year as well, to see how it shaped out. Well, it was pretty happening, I must say. I played a lot of horn, met a lot of people, and played a lot of boardgames. I got to hang with the guy of my dreams and got to know his family and his friends. I was a little dragon who made children laugh. I saw redwood trees for the first time in my life. I ate the best burger in NYC.
I feel very fortunate with my lot in life right now, and am looking forward to more exciting things to come.
See you on the other side.
Words, words, words.
24 Dec 2010 1 Comment
in Books, Movies Tags: animation, atavistic, cartoons, comic books, fables, flight, forehead flicking, kazu kibuishi
My new word of the week is
at·a·vis·tic
definition:
adj- of or relating to reversion to a former or more primitive type
And here is a wonderful quote that dictionary.com supplied as well:
“Travelling, gentlemen, is medieval, today we have means of communication, not to speak of tomorrow and the day after, means of communication that bring the world into our homes, to travel from one place to another is atavistic.”
–Max Frisch (1911–1991), Swiss playwright and novelist
- (This guy said it.)
So why, you ask, is this word so special this week? I’ll tell you why: because before this week I had never seen it before in my life (that I recall), but this week I’ve seen it in print twice.
It did not appear in a novel or some scholarly journal. It appeared in two completely different comic books that I happened to pick up this week.
One was this one:
The 100th issue of one of my favorite comic book series. This issue contains a huge climax in the story that they have been building up to for a while now, so I suppose some eloquence was apropos.
The other was this one:
The seventh volume of an incredible collaborative project spearheaded by one of my favorite artists, Kazu Kibuishi.
Here is the comic that uses the word, but the preview stops before it gets to that part.
So the next time you hear someone say that comics are mindless drivel, tell them that Kyra says that’s bullshit, then flick them on the forehead.
In other news, I just found out that Sylvain Chomet (the director that kicked everyone’s ass with The Triplets of Belleville back in 2003) has a new animated feature coming out this Christmas: The Illusionist.
It hasn’t even come out yet but I already love it so bad. The endearing-ness of it just weeps off the screen, even in the trailer. Plus it has the visual style that I fell in love with back in 2003. In any case, I will be seeing it as soon as possible.
Now, seeing as I’m barely keeping my eyes open (it being nearly 3am and all), it’s time for me to hit the hay. Nothing like Christmas vacation to completely screw up my sleep cycle. G’night, all.
(P.S.- I wrote this blog post very atavistically, in that I had to put in some html code myself because the automatic formatting wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do. I used it correctly, right?)
Hrrrm
23 Dec 2010 2 Comments
in Books, Food, Life Tags: a song of ice and fire, arugula, awesome, books, christmas, horn, love, moving, school, subway, tennessee, transportation
So if I do decide to make any New Year’s resolutions, I think that updating this blog more should be at the tippidy-top of the list.
That, and eating more arugula. Mmmm….
Arugulaaaaaaaaah
When we last left our hero (i.e. me), she was valiantly ripping herself from the claws of the crazy-ass bitch roommate by getting the hell out of that apartment. I am happy and proud to say that things are relatively much brighter! I have a place of my own, with furniture and everything! All I need now is roommates. I have one currently, but it’s only a temporary situation.
Other things I’ve been up to:
-School
-Exercising (although the move threw a wrench into my routine and I’m still trying to get back on a regular schedule)
-Horn (which is also school but also other things)
-The Boy (our 1-year anniversary was on Sunday!)
-Cooking
-Video games!
-Reading the increasingly amazing book series A Song of Ice and Fire (you can find an introduction to the series here)
-Running around in an empty subway car in the middle of the day with The Boy (it happened on the C train on our anniversary- I like to think of it as a gift from the MTA to us)
-Being social (boardgame nights, Nerdburger, birthday parties, horn studio hang)
-Being on the internet way way too much but still somehow getting things done
-Writing a song about seasonal allergies
And yea, Christmas is soon, right? It must be: I’m in Tennessee, it’s kind of cold, and there’s a tree in the living room. So I guess I’ll be doing that soon, too. My parents helped out a ton with my move, so I made sure to get them really good gifts this year! Also tonight I made my mom an arugula salad with walnuts and balsamic vinagrette (mmm, arugula…).
On the move again
06 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Career, College, NYC, School Tags: Morristown, moving, old people
I moved a month and a half ago and next week I will be moving again. I’m sad that it didn’t work out, but at the same time I’m really excited!
This time I am doing things right. The past two places in which I’ve resided while being up here, it’s been living in a room that was being rented out to me by middle-aged people. It’s basically like living with your parents. Unless you don’t mind being bossed around in your living space by people who are way older than you, I don’t recommend it. This time I am renting out an apartment of my own and will rent out the other rooms to other college students. It will be awesome because it will be my apartment, and I don’t boss people around unless things get extreme. Plus rent will be waaaaay cheaper for waaaaaaaaaaay more space (currently paying $850/mo + utilities for a closet). So if you or anyone you know needs a room in Harlem for a good price, let me know!
School’s going well I think. My playing is improving every week, I still like my classes, and this past Thursday my keyboard teacher told me if I wanted to I could test out of the last semester of required piano and take something more challenging (or nothing, which would be cheaper…). I think I might do it. It’s a $25 fee, but it would be worth it to not have to do the last semester.
In other news, my Trio is doing a concert in Morristown, NJ on the 20th of November! I’m excited about this because it will be the closest we’ll get to NYC this season (all of our other shows have been out of the region), so my friends from the area can come! It should be a fun time! :D
Ok, I need to finish getting ready to go to a Ragtime Ball this afternoon- see you later!
“Sometimes it’s good to not know what you’re supposed to do.”
16 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in Inspiration, Music, NYC Tags: awesome, carolina chocolate drops, inspiring, love, music, the bowery
Tonight I saw the Carolina Chocolate Drops perform at the Bowery in downtown NYC.
It was the most inspiring, incredible, balls-to-the-wall, indelible experience of my life. Seriously. I cannot think of one other performance I have been fortunate enough to attend that has left me feeling so fulfilled, so empowered, and with such a strong, unyielding desire to create. Their music was fast, polished, and engaging. They themselves were charming, intelligent, and laid-back. The knowledge they hold for their craft is deep; love and commitment shone through every note. A sense of community swelled and had filled the entire hall by the end of their first tune. We were all a part of the music: clapping our hands, stomping our feet, yelling and singing at the top of our lungs. Nothing in my past experiences can compare to what I felt tonight.
If you have not heard this group, please take the time to check them out, you will not regret it. If you have heard them and love them as much as I, then we are kindred spirits and we should totally hang out sometime. :)
Click the picture to go to their site. Also, buy this album.
October!
12 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in Books, Career, College, NYC Tags: a song of ice and fire, msm, october, pumpkins
Things have gone by so quickly so far. I feel like I’m going to blink and this amazing happy time will be over, and all I will be left with to remember it by will be suffocatingly high amounts of student loans.
I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am at MSM. I love my horn teacher, classes are going well, and my peers are amazingly talented, kind, and supportive. This school fits me like a glove. Of course it’s not perfect- I would have to be pretty naïve to think that- but it has what I need at this time in my career.
Other aspects of my life are currently in a nice groove as well. I’ve moved a bit farther uptown, near 147th and St. Nicholas, and the apartment is beautiful. One of my new roommates is an amazing cook, and likes to make big, delicious meals. Good thing I’ve also joined a gym, which so far has been good, I’m going about every other day. Trying to stave off all those lovely things I’ve inherited from my family, such as potential heart disease and diabetes. Some weight loss would be nice too, but whatever. Social life is good too- the friends I’ve made up here in the past year are awesome and interesting and fun to be around. I’m currently in the middle of a Burning Wheel game, which meets every couple of weeks and feeds my geeky side, along with boardgaming nights and fantasy novels. And things in the romantic realm are as good as ever. :)
And, of course, it is October. October!! My favorite month out of all the months in the calendar year. The colors, the cool breezes, the pumpkin-flavored everything. Just tonight I treated myself to a pumpkin donut from Dunkin Donuts (omg yum om nom nom nom), and in my fridge are bottles of frosty, delicious Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. It is basically my favorite beer, I’m kind of sad it only comes around once a year, but on the other hand, isn’t that what makes it extra super special? I think so.
So yeah, things are great right now. Sorry I haven’t updated in over a month- hopefully this super happy post has made up for it. :)
-ks-
Food, Fall, and Ikea.
05 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
Apparently 3am is now The Blogging Hour for me. Kind of annoying, but oh well. School starts soon, that will put me back into a better sleep cycle (or not).
I’m currently upstate with my boyfriend and his family for his mother’s birthday. It’s already starting to feel like fall up here. Fall is pure happiness for me. It really just has nothing on the other seasons as far as sheer, dramatic beauty goes. Plus you have the agreeable temperatures (jacket weather!), harvesting, pumpkins, costumes, candy… I could go on and on. I challenge anyone to convince me that any of the other seasons are better. You will lose.
The party was all kinds of fun with all kinds of amazing foods. Tomorrow there’s a big brunch which I’m sure will also be great, then we’re heading on back down to NYC.
At some point this month I want/kinda need to make a trip to Ikea. I say only kinda need because I could probably get the things I need at a store in Manhattan, but here’s the thing: I am an Ikea Virgin. Yes, I know it may come as a shock to you all. But alas, despite all my worldliness, I have never known an Ikea intimately. So yeah, I need some shelving for the apartment I’m moving into at the end of the month, and I think it is time to take the next step with Ikea. No more catalogs, this is the real deal.
I’m not usually the type to shop and tell, but…I’ll let you know how it goes. ;)
WordPress readers, meet Geo.
04 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
in Inspiration, Music, NYC
Geo Wyeth.
You can check out more of his music here.
I first saw him perform as the opening act for Bitch and the Exciting Conclusion at Housing Works in January 2009. I have been completely fascinated by him ever since. His style is so beautiful, so free and exciting. He executes his ideas with an extremely high level of talent as well- when I first heard him, he played brilliantly-polished piano counterpoint in the middle of one of his songs. My dream is that one day he will need a french horn player for one of his projects, and that french horn player will be me.
His music really inspires me to write my own. Right now my ideas are small and flighty, very hard to tack down and flesh out. I have plans to purchase a keyboard soon, which I believe will aid me in my endeavors. I want to write and perform music of a genre like Geo’s. It probably won’t be the major part of my life as a musician, but it just feels right and I want to explore that.
While I’m on this music bent, another group I’ve gotten into is one my friend Kevin plays in called Yula and the Extended Family. Their music is fun and awesome and I’m really looking forward to seeing them live sometime.
My Advil PM is kicking in so I’d best stop now while this post is at least partially coherent. Goodnight all!
